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Follow all the action on the RugbyPass live blog from the Heineken Champions Cup match between Munster and Saracens at Thomond Park.
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Saracens will again be without several of their England stars at Thomond Park (kick-off 5.30pm). Similar to their opening Pool Four appointment with Racing 92 last month, the likes of Owen Farrell, Jamie George and Billy Vunipola are not involved.
Fined £5.4million and deducted 35 league points, the Londoners suggested last month that preserving their Premiership status would be their priority this season, not retaining the Heineken Cup they lifted last May with victory over Leinster in the final in Newcastle.
Hammered in round one after sending an understrength XV to Racing, Saracens bounced back in round two with a thumping home win over Ospreys with a team that featured many of their England World Cup final players.
(Continue reading below…)
All those stars were then on deck for the subsequent league win at Bath, but coach Mark McCall has now juggled his line-up and given the weekend off to the likes of Elliot Daly, Farrell, Mako Vunipola, George and Billy Vunipola.
That decision has left much resting on the shoulders of Maro Itoje as they head to Limerick looking to secure what would be a priceless away victory in a pool headed by Racing and Munster who are locked together on seven points, two ahead of Saracens.
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Skipper Brad Barritt is included for his 250th appearance for the English club but only he and winger Alex Lewington remain from the backline that started at the Rec. In the pack, the repeat picks are tighthead Titi Lamositele, locks Will Skelton and Itjoe and back row Jackson Wray.
They face a Munster XV featuring long-serving Ireland internationals such as Conor Murray, Peter O’Mahony and CJ Stander.
The XV Saracens have selected for Limerick on Saturday is causing debate among Munster fanshttps://t.co/SG5jPiT0c1
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) December 7, 2019
MUNSTER: 15. Mike Haley; 14. Andrew Conway, 13. Chris Farrell, 12. Rory Scannell, 11. Keith Earls; 10. JJ Hanrahan, 9. Conor Murray; 1. James Cronin, 2. Niall Scannell, 3. Stephen Archer, 4. Jean Kleyn, 5. Billy Holland, 6. Tadhg Beirne, 7. Peter O’Mahony (capt), 8. CJ Stander. Reps: 16. Kevin O’Byrne, 17. Liam O’Connor, 18. John Ryan, 19. Fineen Wycherley, 20. Jack O’Donoghue, 21. Nick McCarthy, 22. Sam Arnold, 23. Arno Botha.
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SARACENS: 15. Matt Gallagher; 14. Roti Segun, 13. Alex Lozowski, 12. Brad Barritt (capt), 11. Alex Lewington; 10. Manu Vunipola, 9. Ben Spencer; 1. Richard Barrington, 2. Jack Singleton, 3. Titi Lamositele, 4. Will Skelton, 5. Maro Itoje, 6. Nick Isiekwe, 7. Ben Earl, 8. Jackson Wray. Reps: 16. Kapeli Pifeleti, 17. Rhys Carre, 18. Josh Ibuanokpe, 19. Joel Kpoku, 20. Sean Reffell, 21. Tom Whiteley, 22. Max Malins, 23. Nick Tompkins.
Referee: Romain Poite (France).
WATCH: RugbyPass goes behind the scenes in Going Pro, a documentary on how Saracens women defended their 2018/19 Tyrrells Premier 15s title
Comments on RugbyPass
Don’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
9 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
33 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
2 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
33 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
33 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
33 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
33 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
33 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
1 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
33 Go to commentsArdie’s preferred position 7? Where do they get these writers from? I've no idea where he's playing in Japan, but the previous two seasons he wore the 7 jersey exactly twice.
17 Go to commentsNot good to hear Ulster described as “financially troubled”. Did not think it was getting to that level. I would hope the Irish system of spreading players of talent away from Leinster would kick in now. Better to have a Leinster fringe player with Ulster or Connacht, then getting only a few games a season in Dublin. 10, for example, would seem to be a case for spreading the talent. I would not be at all adverse to a SA man coming in as head coach/DR. Ludeke is worth trying. Certainly got a long and impressive coaching career at this level…..149 games in SR, then Japan, 30 years experience. And Ulster’s ledger of successful SA coaches and players is on the positive side. Is talk of Ruan Pienaar interested in coming back as a coach…..could be a good combination with Ludeke. And Pienaar and family would have no settling in to do, one would judge. He loved life in Ulster when there, by all reports.
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